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CHARTER  AND  BY-LAWS 


The  New  York  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters 


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CHARTER  AND  BY-LAWS 


— OF  THE — 


NEW  YORK  BOARD 


—OF— 


Fire  Underwriters 


By-Laws  Adopted  February  21 
1906 


INDEX  TO  CHARTER. 


PAGB 

Section  1— 

Incorporators - .      3 

All  other  persons  officers  for  the  time  being  of  any 

company,  association  or  agent        5 

To  use  common  seal 5 

To  sue  and  be  sued • .      5 

To  hold  and  devise  real  and  personal  property  not  ex- 
ceeding one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  value, 
and  to  sell,  lease  and  mortgage  the  same  . .        . .      5 

Section  2— 

To  inculcate  just  and  equitable  principles  in  business      5 
To  maintain  uniformity  in  policies  or  contracts  of  in- 
surance      . .         5 

Section  3— 

Thirty  members  constitute  a  quorum     . .         . .         . .       5 

Section  4.    Officers— 

Election,  when  held 

Elections  to  be  made  by  ballot 

Inspectors  to  be  members  of  the  Board 6 

Majority  voting  necessary  to  elections  . .         . .         . .       6 

Elections  not  held  on  the  day  appointed 

Section  5— 

Power  to  make  needful  By-Laws . .       6 

Section  6— 

To  provide  suitable  rooms  for  transaction  of  business      6 
To  provide  a  patrol  of  men,  superintendent  and  suita- 
ble apparatus       . .         . .         . .         . .         . .         . .       6 

Power  given  Patrol  to  enter  any  building  on  fire  or 

227d9d 


IV  INDEX  TO  CHARTER. 

PAGE 

exposed  to  danger,  and  to  remove  property  or  any 
part  thereof  from  the  ruins  after  fire          . .         . .      6 
Non-interference  vrith  action  of  firemen  in  their  duties      6 
Fire  Patrol  under  control  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Com- 
missioners while  on  duty        7 

Section  7 — 

Meeting  of  all  insurance  companies  every  two  years, 
in  the  month  of  June.  Ten  days'  previous  notice 
published  in  two  newspapers . .         7 

Each  incorporated  insurance  company  or  association 
doing  business  in  New  York  entitled  to  be  repre- 
sented by  one  officer  or  agent,  and  each  such  or- 
ganization entitled  to  one  vote         . .         . .         . .       7 

Majority  to  decide  upon  sustaining  the  Fire  Patrol,  of 
fixing  maximum  amount  of  expenses  to  be  in- 
curred during  the  two  fiscal  years  next  to  ensue, 
not  to  exceed  two  per  cent,  of  premiums,  to  be 
assessed  upon  all  organizations  and  agencies      . .      7 

Section  8— 

To  provide  payment  for  persons  employed  . .  . .  7 
Maintaining  apparatus  for  saving  life  and  property . .  7 
Corporations,  associations  or  persons  required  to  make 

returns  within  thirty  days,  etc.         . .         . .         . .       g 

Section  9 — 

Treasurer  to  require  statement  provided  for  in  Sec- 
tion 8  8 

Demand  may  be  delivered  personally  at  the  office  or 
residence  of  the  corporation,  association,  agent  or 
person         8 

Failure  to  render  the  account — shall  forfeit  fifty  dol- 
lars to  the  Corporation  and  twenty-five  dollars 
for  every  day  he  shall  so  neglect  after  expiration 
of  said  thirty  days  . .         . .         . .         . .         . .       8 

The  penalty  may  be  sued  for  and  recovered,  with 
costs  of  suit,- in  any  court  of  record  within  this 
State  having  jurisdiction     ...         ....         . .       8 

Section  10— 

General  powers  of  the  Corporation  . .         . .         . .      ^ 


INDEX  TO  BY-LAWS. 


ARTICLE  SECTION      PAGE 


Membership        

Eligibility 

Election  of  Members 
Qualification  of  Members. 
Suspension  of  Members    . 
Resignation  of  Members  . 
Expulsion  of  Members 


Meetings  of  the  Board 

Time  and  Place  of  Meeting 
Conduct  of  Meeting 

Rules  of  Order 

Voting 

Officers  and  Committees    . . 

Enumeration  of  Officers  and  Commit 

tees  

Term  of  Office  and  Restriction  of  Mem 

bership  on  Committees 
Failure  to  Elect  Officers  or  Committees 

Vacancies 

Salaries  

President  and  Vice-President     . . 
Secretary  and  Assistant  Secretary 
Treasurer  and  Assistant  Treasurer 
Committee  on  Membership 
Committee  on  Finance 
Committee  on  Fire  Patrol 
Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund 
Committee  on  Laws  and  Legislation 
Committee  on  Surveys     . . 
Committee  on  Losses  and  Adjustments 


3 

2 

3 

3 

3 

4 

3 

5 

3 

6 

3 

7 

3 

8 

3 

9 

3 

10 

3 

11 

3 

12 

3 

13 

3 

14 

3 

15 

INDEX  TO  BY-LAWS. 


Committee  on  Electricity. . 
Committee  on  Arbitration 
Committee  on  Origin  of  Fires 
Special  Committees 
Hearings  by  Committees. . 
Employees  of  Committees 
Committees*  Report  for  Budget! 

Revision  of  Hazards 


ARTICLE  SECTION      PAGE 


Tariff  Association     .. 
Amendment  of  By-Laws 


16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 


29-30 

30 
30 
31 
31 
31 
31 


.4  31 

..5  32 

..6  32 


CHARTER  AND  BY-LAWS 


[CHAPTER  846.] 


AN  ACT  TO  INCORPORATE  THE  NEW  YORK 
BOARD  OF  FIRE  UNDERWRITERS. 


Passed  May  9,  1867. 


The  people  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in 
Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  1.  The  President  of  the  Home  Insurance 
Company,  the  President  of  the  Continental  Insurance 
Company,  the  President  of  the  Security  Insurance 
Company,  the  President  of  the  International  Insur- 
ance Company,  the  President  of  the  Howard  Insur- 
ance Company,  the  President  of  the  Star  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company,  the  President  of  the  Knickerbocker 
Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the  Germania 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the  Im- 
porters' and  Traders'  Insurance  Company,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Aetna  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the  Commerce  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Astor  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  City  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Relief  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Niagara  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the 
President  of  the  Hamilton  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
the  President  of  the  Arctic  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
the  President  of  the  Empire  City  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  the  President  of  the  American  Exchange 
3 


Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the  Fire- 
men's Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the 
Greenwich  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the 
Excelsior  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of 
the  Atlantic  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the  LfOnox  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of 
the  Long  Island  Insurance  Company,  the  Agent  of 
the  Royal  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the 
New  York  Equitable  Insurance  Company,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Manhattan  Insurance  Company,  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the 
President  of  the  Citizens'  Insurance  Company,  the 
President  of  the  Broadway  Insurance  Company,  the 
President  of  the  Phoenix  Fire  Insurance  Company 
(Brooklyn,  N.  Y.),  the  President  of  the  Metropoli- 
tan Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the 
Columbia  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of 
the  Guardian  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the  Humboldt  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Commercial  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the 
President  of  the  Union  Mutual  Insurance  Company, 
the  President  of  the  Kings  County  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  the  President  of  the  Gebhard  Fire  In- 
surance Company,  the  President  of  the  Hoffman  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the  Peter 
Cooper  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of 
the  Rutgers  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the  Stuyvesant  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the  Park  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the  Globe  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the  Firemen's  Fund  Insurance  Company,  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  Williamsburgh  City  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, the  President  of  the  Yonkers  and  New  York  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the  Brooklyn 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the  Ameri- 
can Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of  the 
Pacific  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President  of 
the  People's  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  President 
of  the   Washington   Insurance   Company,   the  Presi- 


dent  of  the  Lafayette  Fire  Insurance  Company,  for 
the  time  being,  and  all  other  persons,  the  Presidents 
or  other  officers,  for  the  time  being,  of  any  incorpo- 
rated Company  or  Association,  and  any  Agent  doing 
the  business  of  Fire  Insurance  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  who  may  become  associated  with  them,  are 
hereby  created  a  body  corporate,  by  the  name  of 
"The  New  Yokk  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters," 
with  perpetual  succession,  and  power  to  use  a  com- 
mon seal  and  to  alter  the  same  at  pleasure,  and  to 
sue  and  be  sued,  to  take  and  hold  by  grant,  purchase 
and  devise  real  and  personal  property,  to  an  amount 
not  exceeding  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  value, 
for  the  purpose  of  said  Corporation;  and  to  sell,  con- 
vey, lease  and  mortgage  the  same,  or  any  part  thereof, 
subject,  however,  to  the  laws  of  this  State  in  relation 
to  devises. 

Section  2.  The  purposes  of  this  Corporation  shall 
be  to  inculcate  just  and  equitable  principles  in  the 
business  of  insurance;  to  establish  and  maintain  uni- 
formity among  its  members  in  policies  or  contracts 
of  insurance,  and  to  acquire,  preserve  and  dissemi- 
nate valuable  information  relative  to  the  business  in 
which  they  are  engaged. 

Section  3.  Thirty  members  of  the  Board  shall  con- 
stitute a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

Section  4.  The  officers  of  this  Corporation  shall  be 
a  President,  a  Vice-President,  a  Secretary,  a  Treas- 
urer, and  such  others  as  may  be  provided  for  in  the 
By-Laws.  They  shall  hold  their  respective  offices  for 
one  year,  and  until  others  may  be  regularly  chosen  in 
their  places.  The  first  election  for  officers  shall  be 
held  on  the  third  Monday  of  May,  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty-seven;  and  future  elections  shall  be  held 
annually,  at  such  time  and  place  as  may  be  provided 
for  in  the  By-Laws.    To  enable  a  person  to  vote  at 


6 

the  first  election,  he  shall  present  authority  from  the 
Company  which  he  represents  to  join  this  Corpora- 
tion and  to  vote  for  its  otficers.  Such  elections  shall 
be  made  by  ballot,  under  the  inspectors,  who  shall  be 
members  of  this  Corporation  and  appointed  thereby; 
and  the  persons  having  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  all 
members  present  and  voting,  shall  be  elected  to 
the  several  offices  designated  on  the  ballots,  if  it 
shall  happen  that  an  election  of  officers  shall  not  be 
held  on  the  day  when  it  should  have  been  made,  it 
shall  be  lawful  on  any  subsequent  day  to  hold  such 
election,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  prescribed  in  the 
By-Laws. 

Section  5.  The  said  Corporation  shall  have  power 
to  make  all  needful  By-Laws,  not  contrary  to  the 
provisions  of  this  Act,  or  the  Constitution  and  Laws 
of  this  State  or  of  the  United  States. 

Section  6.  The  said  Corporation  shall  have  power 
to  provide  suitable  rooms  for  the  transaction  of  its 
business,  and  also  to  provide  a jpatrol  of  men,  and  a 
competent  person  to  act  as  superintendent,  to  dis- 
cover and  prevent  fires,  with  suitable  apparatus  to 
save  and  preserve  property  or  life  at  and  after  a  fire; 
and  the  better  to  enable  them  so  to  act  with  prompt- 
ness and  efficiency,  full  power  is  given  to  such  su- 
perintendent and  to  such  patrol  to  enter  any  building 
on  fire,  or  which  may  be  exposed  to  or  in  danger  of 
taking  fire  from  other  burning  buildings,  at  once  pro- 
ceed to  protect  and  endeavor  to  save  the  property 
therein,  and  to  remove  such  property,  or  any  part 
thereof,  from  the  ruins  after  a  fire.  Nothing  in  this 
Act,  however,  shall  warrant  any  interference  with  the 
action  of  the  firemen  in  their  duties  in  extinguish- 
ing a  fire;  and  the  said  superintendent  and  the  mem- 
bers of  said  patrol,  while  on.  duty  at  a  fire,  shall 
in  all  respects  be  subordinate  to  and  under  the  con- 


trol  of  the  Board  of  Metropolitan  Fire  Commission- 
ers. 

Section  7.  In  the  month  of  June,  eighteen  hun- 
dred and  sixty-seven,  and  in  the  month  of  June  of 
every  second  year  thereafter,  there  shall  be  held  a 
meeting  of  the  Corporation  hereby  created,  of  which 
ten  days'  previous  notice  shall  be  inserted  in  at  least 
two  newspapers  published  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
at  which  meeting  each  incorporated  insurance  com- 
pany or  association  doing  business  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  whether  its  officers  or  its  agents  be  members  of 
this  Corporation  or  not,  shall  have  the  right  to  be 
represented  by  one  of  such  officers  or  by  its  agent, 
and  each  organization  represented  at  such  meeting 
shall  be  entitled  to  one  vote.  A  majority  of  the 
whole  number  so  represented  shall  have  power 
to  decide  upon  the  question  of  sustaining  the 
Fire  Patrol  hereinbefore  mentioned,  and  of  fixing 
the  maximum  amount  of  expenses  which  will  be  in- 
curred therefor  during  the  two  fiscal  years  next  to 
ensue,  which  amount  shall  in  no  case  exceed  two  per 
centum  on  the  aggregate  of  premiums  returned  as  re- 
ceived, as  provided  in  Section  8  of  this  Act;  and  the 
whole  of  such  amount,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may 
'be  necessary,  may  be  assessed  upon  the  organizations 
belonging  to  this  Corporation,  and  upon  all  other 
organizations  and  agencies,  as  hereinbefore  men- 
tioned, in  proportion  to  the  several  amounts  of  pre- 
miums returned  as  received  by  each,  as  hereinafter 
provided,  and  such  assessment  shall  be  collectible  by 
this  Corporation  in  any  court  of  law  in  the  City  or 
State  of  New  York  having  jurisdiction. 

Section  8.  To  provide  for  the  payment  of  i)ersons 
employed  under  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  and  to 
maintain  the  apparatus  for  saving  life  and  property 
contemplated,  this  Corporation  is  empowered  to  re- 
quire a  statement  to  be  furnished,  semi-annually,  by 


8 

9,U  corporations,  associations,  underwriters,  agents, 
or  persons,  of  the  aggregate  amount  of  premiums  re- 
ceived for  insuring  property  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
for  and  during  the  six  months  next  preceding  the 
thirtieth  day  of  June  and  the  thirty-first  day  of  De- 
cember of  each  year,  which  statement  shall  be  sworn 
to  by  the  president  and  secretary  of  the  corporation 
or  association,  or  by  the  agent  or  person  so  acting 
and  effecting  such  insurance  in  said  city,  and  shall 
be  handed  to  the  Treasurer  of  this  Corporation 
within  thirty  days  after  the  time  to  which  such  re- 
turns are  to  be  made. 

Section  9.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Treasurer  or 
other  appointed  oflScer  of  this  Corporation,  within  ten 
days  after  the  first  day  of  January  and  first  day  of 
July,  in  each  year,  by  written  or  printed  demand 
signed  by  him,  to  require  from  every  corporation, 
association,  underwriter,  agent,  or  person  engaged  in 
the  business  of  Fire  Insurance  in  the  City  and 
County  of  New  York,  the  statement  provided  for  in 
the  last  preceding  section  of  this  Act  Such  demand 
may  be  delivered  personally  at  the  office  of  such  cor- 
poration, association,  agent,  or  person,  or  at  the  resi- 
dence of  the  proper  officer  of  such  corporation, 
association,  agent  or  person;  and  every  officer  of 
such  corporation  or  association,  and  every  individual 
agent,  or  underwriter,  who  shall,  for  thirty  days 
after  such  demand,  neglect  to  render  the  account, 
shall  forfeit  fifty  dollars  for  the  use  of  the  Corpora- 
tion created  by  this  Act;  and  he  shall  also  forfeit, 
for  their  use,  twenty-five  dollars  in  addition  for  every 
day  he  shall  so  neglect  after  the  expiration  of  the 
said  thirty  days;  and  such  additional  penalty  may 
be  computed  and  recovered  up  to  the  time  of  the  trial 
of  the  suit  for  4;he  recovery  thereof,  which  penalty 
may  be  sued  for  and  recovered,  with  costs-  of  suit,  in 
^ny  court  of  record  within  this  State  having  juris- 


diction,  by  and  in  the  name  of  the  Corporation  hereby 
created. 

Section  10.  The  Corporation  created  by  this  Act 
shall  possess  the  general  powers  and  be  subject  to 
the  restrictions  and  liabilities  prescribed  in  the  third 
title  of  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  the  first  part  of 
the  Revised  Statutes. 

Section  11.    This  Act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


State  of  New  York,         ) 
Office  of  tlie  Secretary  of  State,  S     ' 

p.  /-.   -I     Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  of  office,   at   the   City  of 

I   i-^.    O.  J        Albany,  this  ninth  day  bf  May,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  sixty-seven. 

I  have  compared  the  preceding  with  the  original 
law  on  file  in  this  oflace,  and  do  hereby  certify  that 
the  same  is  a  correct  transcript  therefrom,  and  of 
the  whole  of  said  original  law. 

ERASTUS    CLARK, 
Deputy  Secretary  of  State. 


LOCAL—NEW   YORK,    KINGS,   QUEENS   AND 
RICHMOND  COUNTIES. 

[Four  folios.] 


LAWS  OF  NEW  YORK.— By  Authority. 

[Every  law,  unless  a  different  time  shall  be  pre- 
scribed therein,  shall  not  take  effect  until  the  twen- 
tieth day  after  it  shall  have  become  a  law.  Section 
43,  article  II,  chapter  8,  General  Laws.] 

Chap.    155. 

AN  ACT  to  amend  chapter  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  of  the  laws  of  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety- 
seven,  known  as  *'the  Greater  New  York  charter/* 
relative  to  the  right  of  way  of  the  apparatus  of  the 
insurance  patrol. 

Accepted  by  the  city. 

Became  a  law,  March  16,  1900,  with  the  approval  of 
the  Governor.    Passed,  three-fifths  being  present. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  'New  Yorlc,  represented 
in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  1.  Section  seven  hundred  and  forty-eight 
of  title  two,  chapter  fifteen,  of  chapter  three  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  of  the  laws  of  eighteen  hundred  and 
ninety-seven,  entitled  "An  act  to  unite  into  one 
municipality  under  the  corporate  name  of  the  city  of 
New   York   the   various    communities   lying   in    and 

10 


11 

about  New  York  harbor,  including  the  city  and 
county  of  New  York,  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  the 
county  of  Kings,  the  county  of  Richmond,  and  part 
of  the  county  of  Queens,  and  to  provide  for  the  gov- 
ernment thereof"  is  hereby  amended  so  as  to  read  as 
follows: 

§  748.  The  officers  and  men  of  the  fire  department, 
and  the  officers  and  men  of  the  insurance  patrol  re- 
spectively with  their  apparatus  of  all  kinds,  when 
on  duty,  shall  have  the  right  of  way  at,  and  in  pro- 
ceeding to,  any  fire,  in  any  highway,  street  or  avenue, 
over  any  and  all  vehicles  of  any  kind,  except  those 
carrying  the  United  States  mail.  And  any  person 
in  or  upon  any  vehicle  who  shall  refuse  the  right  of 
way,  or  in  any  way  obstruct  any  fire  apparatus,  or 
any  apparatus  of  the  insurance  patrol,  or  any  of  said 
officers  and  men  while  in  the  performance  of  duty, 
shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  be  liable  to 
punishment  for  the  same. 

§  2.    This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


State  of  Nevt  York, 

•  So,  . 


Office  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  ]  ^ 

I  have  compared  the  preceding  with  the  original 
law  on  file  in  this  office,  and  do  hereby  certify  that 
the  same  is  a  correct  transcript  therefrom  and  of  the 
whole  of  said  original  law. 

JOHN  T.  Mcdonough, 

Secretary  of  State. 


BY-LAWS 

OF 

THE  NEW  YORK  BOARD  OF  FIRE  UNDERWRITERS 

Adopted  February  21,  1906. 


ARTICLE  I— MEaVLBERSHIP. 
Section  1 — ^Eligibility. 

Natural  persons  only  who  are  officers  or  agents  of 
a  fire  insurance  company  shall  be  eligible  to  become, 
or  remain,  members  of  this  Board. 

Section  2 — ^Election  of  Members. 

New  members  of  the  Board  shall  be  admitted  only 
on  written  application  to  the  Board.  Every  applica- 
tion shall  be  submitted  to  the  Committee  on  Mem- 
bership, which  shall  report  thereon  to  the  Board. 
New  members  shall  be  admitted  only  after  such  re- 
port and  upon  receiving  a  majority  of  the  votes  by 
ballot  of  all  the  members,  present  and  voting,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Board.  No  application  for  member- 
ship shall  be  acted  upon  at  the  same  meeting  at 
which  it  is  presented. 

Section  3 — Qualification  of  Membebs. 

No  person  elected  shall  become  a  member  of  this 
Board  unless  and  until  he  shall,  within  thirty  days 
after  such  election,  subscribe  his  name  to  the  Char- 
ter of  the  Board  and  the  By-Laws,  which  subscription 

18 


14 

shall  be  understood  as  constituting  an  agreement  to 
be  governed  by  the  Charter  and  the  By-Laws  of  the 
Board,  and  to  maintain  all  the  rules  and  regulations 
adopted,  and  to  be  adopted,  by  the  Board. 

Section  4 — Suspension  of  Members. 

Any  member  of  the  Board  who  shall  refuse  or 
neglect  to  pay  any  assessment  authorized  by  the 
Board,  which  the  Board  may  declare  to  have  been 
duly  imposed,  may,  by  the  affirmative  vote  of  a 
majority  of  the  members  present  and  voting  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Board,  be  suspended  from  member- 
ship, and  during  such  suspension,  the  member  so  sus- 
pended is  prohibited  from  voting  or  taking  part  in 
the  proceedings  of  the  Board. 

Section  5 — Resignation  of  Members. 

A  member  shall  be  entitled  to  resign  from  this 
Board  only  upon  tendering  his  resignation  at  a  reg- 
ular meeting  thereof,  and  all  of  the  obligations  of 
his  membership  shall  continue  until  fifteen  days  af- 
ter such  meeting. 

Section  6 — Expulsion  of  Members. 

A  Charges  involving  the  standing  of  any  member  of 
the  Board  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Board  in  writing 
and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Membership,  who 
shall  hear  both  sides  and  report  thereon  to  the  Board; 
on  such  report  any  member  may  be  expelled  by  vote 
of  a  majority,  present  and  voting,  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Board. 

B         A   refusal,   or   neglect,   by   any   member   for   three   • 
months  to  pay  any  assessment  authorized  and  declared 
duly  imposed  by  the  Board,  shall  be  sufficient  cause 
for  expulsion. 

C  No  expulsion  from  the  Board  shall  be  held  to  ex- 
oneraj:e  any  company,  agent  or  person  from  their  ob- 


15 

ligation  to  pay  their  proportion  of  the  expense  for 
the  Fire  Patrol  or  other  proper  expenses  that  may 
be  incurred  under  the  provision  of  the  Charter. 

If  and  when  a  member  shall  become  ineligible  for  D 
membership,  and  upon  the  failure  of  such  member 
forthwith  to  tender  his  resignation,  the  Secretary 
shall,  after  thirty  days  from  the  date  when  such  mem- 
ber became  ineligible  for  membership,  and  upon  be- 
ing instructed  by  the  President  so  to  do,  drop  the 
name  of  such  member  from  the  roll  of  members  of 
the  Board,  and  report  the  same  to  the  Board. at  its 
next  meeting. 


ARTICLE  II— MEETINGS  OF  THE  BOARD. 
Section  1 — Time  and  Place  of  Meeting. 

The  Annual  Meetings  of  the  Board  shall  be  held 
on  the  Wednesday  succeeding  the  third  Monday  of 
May  in  each  year.  Regular  monthly  meetings  of  the 
Board  shall  be  held  on  the  third  Wednesday  of  each 
month,  and  at  other  stated  periods  as  authorized  by 
resolution  of  the  Board. 

Special  meetings  shall  be  called  by  the  President, 
either  upon  his  own  motion,  or  at  the  request  of  any 
standing  committee,  or  of  any  five  members  of  the 
Board. 

All  meetings  shall  be  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  Board. 

Section  2 — Conduct  of  Meeting. 

Thirty  members  of  the  Board  shall  constitute  a 
quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business,  as  provided  in 
the  Act  of  Incorporation. 

The  President,  if  present,  shall  preside  at  all  meet- 
ings of  the  Board.  In  the  absence  of  the  President, 
the  Vice-President  shall  preside,  and  in  the  absence 
of  the  Vice-President  a  presiding  officer  shall  be 
chosen  viva  voce  from  the  members  present. 


16 

The  Secretary  of  the  Board  shall  be  the  Secretary 
of  all  of  the  meetings  thereof.  At  all  stated  meetings 
of  the  Board,  the  following  shall  be  the 


RULES  OF  ORDER: 

I.  Immediately  on  the  assembling  of  a  quorum 
of  the  membeis  of  the  Board,  and  the  chair  being 
taken  by  the  proper  oflScer,  the  following  shall  be 
the  Order  of  Business. 

1.  Calling  the  Roll. 

2.  Reading  the  Minutes. 

3.  Communications. 

4.  Reports  of  Standing  Committees. 

5.  Reports  of  Special  Committees. 

6.  Unfinished  Business  of  the  Board. 

7.  New  Business. 

II.  Any  member  shall  have  the  right  to  address 
a  communication  in  writing  to  the  President  of  the 
Board,  stating,  as  briefly  as  possible,  the  nature  of 
the  new  business  to  be  presented,  which  communica- 
tion shall  be  read  to  the  Board  under  the  regular  call 
in  the  Order  of  Business;  and  the  same  shall  there- 
after take  precedence  of  all  other  new  business  un- 
der the  regular  call.  But  no  debate  or  discussion  shall 
be  had  thereupon  until  said  last-mentioned  Order  of 
Business  is  called. 

III.  Every  member  who  has  proposals  to  make,  or 
reasons  for,  or  objections  to  offer  against,  any  propo- 
sition presented,  shall  rise  and  address  the  Presi- 
dent; and  no  person  shall  interrupt  another  while 
speaking,  unless  upon  a  question  of  order  or  privilege. 

IV.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put,  unless  sec- 
onded, and,  at  the  request  of  any  member,  such  mo- 
tion shall  be  reduced  to  writing. 

V.  When  any  question  is  under  debate,  no  motion 
shall  be  received  except  to  adjoui-n,  lay  on  the  table, 
for  the  previous  question,  to  postpone  to  a  day  certain, 


17 

to  commit,  to  amend,  to  postpone  indefinitely,  which 
several  motions  shall  have  precedence  in  the  order 
in  which  they  are  arranged. 

VI.  All  questions  must  be  put  in  their  order,  ex- 
cept in  filling  blanks,  when  the  largest  sum  or  long- 
est time  named  shall  be  first  put. 

VI  I.  No  motion  for  reconsideration  shall  be  in  or- 
der unless  moved  at  the  same  meeting  by  a  member 
who  voted  with  the  majority. 

VIII.  The  yeas  and  nays  shall  be  ordered  by  the 
presiding  oflQlcer,  on  the  call  of  any  five  members. 

IX.  Any  member  may  call  for  a  division  of  the 
question  when  the  sense  of  same  will  admit  of  di- 
vision. 

X.  The  presiding  oflBcer  shall  decide  all  questions 
of  order,  subject  to  an  appeal  to  the  Board. 

XI.  No  member,  except  the  mover,  shall  speak  more 
than  once  on  any  one  question,  nor  shall  any  member 
occupy  more  than  ten  minutes  upon  any  one  question, 
except  by  unanimous  consent;  not,  however,  to  apply 
to  or  limit  the  Chairmen  of  the  Committees  having 
the  subject  matter  in  charge. 

XII.  Where  the  rules  are  silent  on  any  point  or 
order  of  procedure,  Cushing's  Manual  shall  be  the 
authority  relied  upon. 


Section  3 — ^Voting. 

No  member  of  the  Board,  whether  an  ofllcer  of 
one  or  more  companies,  or  holding  individually,  or 
as  a  firm,  the  commission  as  an  agent  of  one  or  more 
companies,  shall  have  more  than  one  vote. 

Members  of  the  Board  associated  together  in  busi- 
ness, either  or  both  as  officers,  agents  or  managers 
of  the  same  company,  or  otherwise,  shall  be  entitled 
to  only  one  vote. 

The  officers  of  the  Board,  other  than  the  members 
of  Committees,  shall  be  elected  by  a  majority  of  the 
votes  cast. 


18 

D        Members    of    Committees    shall    be    elected    by    a 
plurality  of  the  votes  cast. 


ARTICLE  III— OFFICERS  AND  COMMITTEES. 
Section  1 — Enumeration  of  Officers  and  Committees. 

A  The  officers  of  the  Board  shall  be  a  President,  a 
Vice-President,  a  Secretary  and  Assistant  Secretary, 
a  Treasurer  and  an  Assistant  Treasurer,  and  such 
other  officers  as  the  Board  may  elect. 

B  There  shall  be  a  Committee  on  Membership,  which 
shall  consist  of  the  Chairmen,  for  the  time  being,  of 
the  Standing  Committees  of  the  Board;  a  Committee 
on  Arbitration,  consisting  of  all  the  ex-Presidents  of 
the  Board,  who  are  still  officers,  managers  or  agents 
of  companies  represented  in  the  Board;  a  Commit- 
tee on  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund  consisting  of  the 
members  of  the  Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  and  the 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Finance;  and  a  Com- 
mittee on  Origin  of  Fires,  consisting  of  the  Chair- 
men of  the  several  Standing  Committees  of  the 
Board. 

C  There  shall  also  be  the  following  Standing  Com- 
mittees: A  Committee  on  Finance  of  seven  members; 
a  Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  of  seven  members;  a  Com 
mittee  on  Laws  and  Legislation  of  seven  members;  a 
Committee  on  Surveys  of  seven  members;  a  Commit- 
tee on  Losses  and  Adjustments  of  eleven  members; 
.    a  Committee  on  Electricity  of  seven  members. 

Section  2 — Term  of  Office  and  Restriction  of  Mem- 
bership ON  Committees. 

A        Members  of  Committees  shall  hold  their  respective 
,     offices  for  one  year,  and  until  their  successors  shall 

be  regularly  chosen  in  their  places. 
^        In  constituting  committees,  except  the  Committee 


19 

on  Membership,  the  Committee  on  Arbitration  and 
the  Committee  on  Origin  of  Fires,  there  shall  not  be 
more  than  one  representative  from  any  one  Insurance 
Company  on  any  one  Committee;  nor  shall  any  Com- 
pany be  represented  at  the  same  time  upon  more  than 
two  Standing  Committees. 

Section  3 — Failure  to  Elect  Officers  or  Committees. 

In  case  of  failure  to  elect  any  of  the  officers  or 
members  of  any  Committee  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Board,  the  Board  shall  fix  a  day  for  an  election 
of  such   officers   and   Committees. 

Section  4 — Vacancies. 

If  a  vacancy  shall  occur  in  any  office  established  by     A 
the    Board,   such   vacancy   shall   be   filled   by   a   new 
election,   to   be   held    either   at   the   next   succeeding 
stated  meeting  of  the  Board  or  at  a  special  meeting 
called  for  that  purpose. 

If  a  vacancy  shall  occur  in  any  Standing  Commit-  B 
tee,  it  shall  be  reported  by  the  Chairman  of  such 
Committee  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  held 
thereafter.  At  such  meeting,  the  Chair  shall  appoint 
a  Committee  to  nominate  a  candidate  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. Such  nomination  shall  be  reported  at  the 
next  succeeding  regular  meeting  of  the  Board  and, 
at  that  meeting,  the  vacancy  shall  be  filled  by  ballot. 

In  case  of  absence,  or  expected  absence  of  any  mem-  C 
ber  of  a  Committee  for  a  longer  period  than  thirty 
days,  the  President  of  tlie  Board  may,  on  the  request 
of  such  Committee,  appoint  a  member  pro  tern,  to  serve 
only  during  the  absence  of  such  regular  member  of  the 
Committee. 

If  any  vacancy  shall  occur  in  the  position  of  any    D 
employee   of   the    Board,   whose   oflBce   is   under   the 
jurisdiction  of  any   Standing  Committee,  such  Com- 
mittee shall  fill  the  vacancy  either  by  promotion,  or 
otherwise,  in  the  discretion  of  the  Committee. 


20 

Section  5 — Salaries. 

•  The  salaries  of  officers  and  employees  of  the  Board 
shall  be  fixed  by  the  Board;  but  all  questions  as  to 
the  compensation  of  officers  or  employees,  and  the 
amount  thereof,  shall  first  be  referred  to  the  Ck)m- 
mittee  on  Finance  and  shall  be  decided  by  the  Board 
only  after  report  thereon  by  such  Committee. 

Section  6 — The  President  and  Vice-President. 

A  The  President  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the 
Board.  In  the  absence  of  the  President  for  any 
cause,  the  Vice-President  shall  have  all  the  powers 
and  duties  of  the  President. 

B  The  President  and  Vice-President  shall  be  ex-oificio 
members  of  all  Standing  Committees. 

Section  7 — The  Secretary  and  Assistant  Secretary. 

A  The  Secretary  shall  keep  a  record  of  the  proceed- 
ings and  regulations  of  the  Board.  He  shall  notify 
each  member  of  all  meetings  and  shall  give  notice  to 
the  members  of  all  Committees  of  their  appointment, 
and  it  shall  be  his  duty  promptly  to  furnish  the 
members  with  all  new  rules  and  proceedings  of  the 
Board. 

B  The  Secretary  shall  prepare  a  complete  roll  of  the 
employees  of  the  Board,  giving  the  date  of  their  ap- 
pointment, the  salary  paid,  and  the  date  of  any 
change  in  salary.  This  roll  shall  be  kept  complete 
and  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  members. 

C  The  Assistant  Secretary  shall  aid  the  Secretary  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  when  required,  and,  in 
the  absence  of  the  Secretary,  shall  perform  the  duties 
of  his  office. 

Section  8 — The  Treasurer  and  Assistant 
Treasurer. 

\  The  Treasurer  shall  collect  such  sums  as  may  be 
voted  and  assessed  for  the  general  expenses  of  the 


21 

Board,  and  he  shall  disburse  the  same  as  ordered. 
Proper  books  of  account  of  such  receipts  and  dis- 
bursements shall  be  kept  and  a  report  made  by  the 
Treasurer  whenever  required  by  the  Board;  he  shall 
also  submit  in  detail  a  printed  report  semi-annually, 
of  all  his  receipts  and  payments.  An  annual  re- 
port shall  be  presented  at  the  regular  meeting  imme- 
diately succeeding  the  annual  election  in  May.  All 
his  accounts  shall  be  audited  as  the  Committee  on 
Finance  may  direct. 

He  shall  also  be  invested  with  all  the  duties  and  B 
powers  requisite  for  the  collection  of  the  Fire  Patrol 
Fund,  as  provided  by  the  act  incorporating  this 
Board.  He  shall  prepare  proper  blanks  for  returns 
of  premiums  received  by  all  companies,  agencies  or 
persons  doing  the  business  of  Fire  Insurance  in  the 
City  and  County  of  New  York  as  required  by  the  said 
act.  Such  blanks  shall  be  so  prepared  as  to  require, 
and  show  when  filled  up,  the  amount  of  premiums 
received  for  insuring  property  in  the  City  and  County 
of  New  York. 

He  shall  serve  a  copy  of  such  requirement  on  each  C 
of  such  companies,  agencies  or  persons.  Service 
thereof  may  be  made  by  causing  the  same  to  be  de- 
livered personally  at  the  office  of  such  corporation, 
asso'ciation,  agency  or  person  or  at  the  residence  of 
the  proper  officer  of  such  corporation,  association, 
agent  or  person,  and  if  any  company,  agency  or  per- 
son shall  fail  to  make  the  proper  return  or  pay  their 
assessment  for  support  of  the  Patrol,  he  shall  report 
the  delinquents  to  the  Committee  on  Finance.  After  the 
time  limited  for  making  such  returns  the  Treasurer 
shall  forthwith,  under  the  direction  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Finance,  assess  thereon,  in  accordance  with 
the  Act  of  Incorporation,  a  sum  or  sums  sufficient  to 
pay  the  expenses  of  the  Fire  Patrol  for  the  then 
current  six  months. 

Immediately  after  such  assessment  he  shall  notify?     D 
each  corporation,  association,  underwriter,  agency  or 


22 

person  so  assessed,  of  the  amount  of  their  respective 
assessments,  and  the  same  shall  be  due  and  payable 
to  the  Treasurer  as  soon  as  such  notice  shall  be 
served. 

E  The  Treasurer  shall  keep  books  of  account  of  the 
receipts  and  expenses  of  the  Patrol  Fund,  and  he  may 
employ  such  assistance  in  the  performance  of  his 
duties  as  the  Committee  on  Finance  may  authorize. 

F  l^e  Treasurer  shall  have  the  custody  of  the  Fire 
Patrol  Relief  Fund  and  the  securities  in  which  it 
shall  be  invested,  and  shall  keep  the  same  separate 
from  the  other  moneys  and  property  in  his  posses- 
sion. He  shall  disburse  the  fund  as  directed  by  the 
Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund,  but  only  upon 
written  order  signed  by  the  Chairman  or  Vice-Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund. 
He  shall  keep  proper  books  of  account  for  said  Fund. 

G  All  checks  for  the  payment  of  money  out  of  the 
Patrol  Fund,  whether  for  salaries  or  other  expenses, 
shall  be  upon  the  draft  of  the  Chairman  and  Sec- 
retary of  the  Committee  on  Fire  Patrol,  with  vouch- 
ers accompanying.  The  Treasurer  shall  submit  semi- 
annually to  the  Board  a  printed  report  in  detail  of 
all  his  receipts  and  payments  on  account  of  the  Patrol. 

H  The  Treasurer  shall  be  ex-offido  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  Fire  Patrol. 

I  The  Treasurer  shall  give  a  bond  of  not  less  than 

twenty-five  thousand  dollars  ($25,000)  for  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  his  duties,  such  bond  to  be  satis- 
factory to  the  Committee  on  Finance. 
.J  The  Assistant  Treasurer  shall  give  a  bond  of  not 
less  than  ten  thousand  dollars  (|10,000)  for  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  his  duties,  such  bond  to  be  satis- 
factory to  the  Committee  on  Finance. 

K  The  Assistant  Treasurer  shall  aid  the  Treasurer 
as  required.  -He  is  hereby  authorized  to  disburse 
the  funds  of  the  Board  under  the  direction  of  the 
Treasurer  and  to  sign  checks  on  the  bank  of  deposit, 
except  on  funds  in  Trust  Companies. 


23 


In  the  event  of  the  death  or  disability  of  the  Treas- 
uier,  the  Assistant  Treasurer  may  be  authorized  by 
the  Committee  on  Finance  to  act  as  Treasurer  until  a 
new  Treasurer  shall  be  elected  or  the  disability  re- 
moved, but  before  so  acting  he  shall  give  a  suitable 
bond  in  the  sum  of  not  less  than  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  ($25,000),  such  bond  to  be  approved  by 
the  Committee  on  Finance. 

Section   9 — The  Committee  on  Membebship. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Committee  on  Mem- 
Lership  to  receive,  to  consider  and  to  report  to  the 
Board  upon  all  applications  for  membership.  It 
shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  Committee  on  Member- 
ship to  receive  charges  involving  the  standing  of  any 
member  of  t^e  Board,  to  conduct  hearings  upon  such 
charges,  if  any  complainant  or  member  whose  stand- 
ing is  involved  shall  so  request,  and  to  report  thereon 
to  the  Board. 

Section    10 — The    Committee    on    Finance. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Committee  on  Finance 
to  devise  ways  to  collect  funds  for  conducting  the 
general  business  of  the  Board,  to  determine,  upon 
returns  received,  the  proper  assessment  to  raise 
moneys  for  the  support  of  the  Fire  Patrol  and  for 
the  general  expenses  of  the  Board,  and  to  have,  with 
the  Treasurer,  a  general  direction  in  the  collection 
and  custody  of  said  Fund.  They  shall  prosecute  in 
the  name  of  the  Board  any  delinquent  who  shall  fail 
to  make  proper  returns  of  premiums  received,  or 
neglect  to  pay  the  amount  of  their  several  assess- 
ments when  due,  after  due  notice  given  by  the 
Treasurer. 

The  Committee  shall  consider  and  report  to  the 
Board  upon  all  questions  as  to  the  compensation  of 
officers  and  employees  and  the  amount  thereof.  The 
Committee   shall   have   general   supervision   over   all 


24 


expenditures,  excepting  advances  of  the  Committee 
on  Losses  and  Adjustments  assessable  upon  the  com- 
pany, or  companies,  interested  in  particular  losses. 
All  expenditures  of  committees  exceeding  five  hun- 
dred dollars  ($500),  but  excepting  advances  of  the 
Committee  on  Losses  and  Adjustments  assessable 
upon  the  company,  or  companies  interested  in  the 
particular  losses,  shall  first  be  approved  by  the 
Committee  on  Finance  before  payment  by  the 
Treasurer.  The  Committee  shall  provide  suitable 
rooms  for  the  meetings  of  the  Board  and  of  its 
Committees. 

C  The  Committee  shall  prepare  and  submit  to  the 
Board,  prior  to  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year,  a  budget 
showing,  in  detail,  all  expenses  for  the  next  year 
ensuing,  the  amount  required  for  salaries,  rent, 
printing  and  incidentals,  and  this  budget,  when 
adopted  by  the  Board,  shall  be  the  guide  of  the  Com- 
mittee for  the  expenditures  for  said  fiscal  year,  sub- 
ject to  any  special  appropriations  by  the  Board  not 
in  conflict  with  these  By-Laws.  They  shall  cause 
the  Treasurer's  accounts  to  be  audited  before  their 
presentation  to  the  Board.  The  Committee  shall 
keep  such  statistics  as  may  be  outlined  by  the  Board, 
and  also  a  permanent  record  of  their  proceedings, 
and    shall    make    a    monthly    report    to    the    Board. 

D  The  Treasurer's  monthly  statement  and  the  audit  of 
his  accounts  shall  be  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  the 
Board. 

Section  11 — The  Committee  on  Fiee  Patrol. 

A  The  Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  shall  have  power  to 
organize  the  patrol  force,  which  shall  consist  of  a 
Superintendent,  and  as  many  Captains,  Lieutenants, 
Sergeants,  and  other  employees  (not  exceeding  the 
»  number  authorized  by  the  Board),  as  they  shall  deem 
necessary,  and  their  compensation  shall  be  fixed  by 
the  Board. 


25 

The    Superintendent    shall    be    appointed    by    the 
Board  upon  the  nomination  of  the  Committee  on  Fire 

Amendment  to  Sec.  8,  passed  October  16,  1907:— 

The  Treasurer  shall  collect  from  each  office  or  agency  M 
represented  in  the  membership  of  the  Board,  the  sum 
of  One  Dollar  as  a  fine  for  non-attendance  at  the  regular 
or  special  meetings  in  answer  to  the  roll  call,  provided 
that  not  more  than  one  fine  for  such  failure  shall  be 
collected  from  any  one  office  or  agency  without  regard 
to  the  number  of  its  representatives  in  the  Board  mem- 
bership. 

The  Treasurer  shall  pay  to  each  member  responding     N 
to  the  roll  call,  the  sum  of  One  Dollar,  provided,  only 
one  payment  is  made  to  each  office  represented  bv  the 
membership.  ^ 

Lieutenants,  and  the  entire  working  force,  who  shall 
hold  their  positions  at  the  pleasure  of  the  Commit- 
tee, and  the  Committee  shall  report  to  the  Board  all 
such  appointments.  They  shall  prepare  rules  and 
regulations  for  the  government  of  the  oflOicers  and 
men,  and  all  changes,  by  removal  and  appointment 
of  officers,  shall  be  reported  to  the  Board. 
^  The  Committee  shall  have  authority  to  procure  E 
such  rooms,  apparatus  and  supplies  as  they  may 
deem  necessary  for  the  maintenance  and  efficient 
working  of  the  force,  provided  that  no  expenditure 
or  engagement,  involving  a  disbursement  of  over  five 
hundred  dollars  ($500)  at  any  one  time,  or  for  any  one 
purpose,  shall  be  incurred,  without  having  first 
obtained  the  approval  of  the  Board  after  recommen- 
dation of  the  Committee  on  Finance.  The  Commit- 
tee shall  keep  a  record  of  the  rules  they  shall  adopt 
for  governing  the  Patrol,  and  shall  report  the  same 
to  the  Board. 

The  Chairman  and  Secretary  of  the  Committee  on    F 
Fire    Patrol    shall    keep    the    pay    rolls    and    other 


26 


vouchers  of  the  expenditures  of  the  Patrol,  and  shall 
draw  upon  the  Treasurer  for  the  amount  of  such 
pay  rolls  or  vouchers,  a  duplicate  whereof  shall  be 
attached  to  the  draft,  and  the  Treasurer's  check  on 
the  bank  shall  be  made  payable  to  the  order  of  the 
party  to  whom  the  claim  is  due.  The  certificate  of 
the  Superintendent  to  the  correctness  of  each  pay 
roll  or  voucher  coming  within  his  department,  shall 
be  affixed  thereto  before  the  draft  shall  be  made.  The 
Secretary  of  the  Committee  shall  be  the  Secretary 
of  the  Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund. 
G  The  Committee  shall  keep  such  statistics  as  may  be 
outlined  by  the  Board  and  also  a  permanent  record 
of  their  proceedings  and  shall  make  a  monthly  report 
to  the  Board, 

Section  12 — Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund. 

A  The  Committee  on  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund  shall 
have  charge  of  the  Fire  Patrol  Relief  Fund  estab- 
lished by  resolution  of  the  Board,  passed  at  its  meet- 
ing held  on  the  30th  day  of  January,  1894,  together 
with  such  other  moneys  as  from  time  to  time 
shall    be   paid    into   the    said   Fund. 

B  The  Committee  shall  invest  the  said  Fund  and  use 
the  income  and  principal,  or  so  much  thereof  as 
may  in  their  judgment  be  necessary,  for  the  sup- 
port, aid,  relief  and  maintenance  of  such  members  of 
the  Fire  Patrol,  and  their  families,  as  shall  be  in 
indigent  circumstances,  and  of  the  families  of  such 
members  as  shall  have  been  injured  or  killed  in  the 
.    discharge  of  their  duties  as  such  fire  patrolmen. 

C  All  expenditures  by  the  Committee  exceeding  five 
hundred  dollars  ($500)  shall  first  be  approved  by  the 
Committee  on  Finance  before  payment  by  the  Trea- 
surer. 

D         The  Committee  may,  with  the  approval  of  the  Board, 

.    make    such    regulations    as    shall    be    necessary    for 

its    own    government,    provided    the    same    are    not 


27 

contrary  to  the  provisions  of  the  Charter  and  By- 
Daws  of  the  Board. 

The  Committee  shall  elect  from  its  own  members  a 
Chairman  and  Vice-Chairman,  who  shall  hold  office 
until  their  successors  are  elected. 

At  each  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Board,  the  Com- 
mittee shall  render  an  account  of  the  Fire  Patrol 
Relief  Fund,  showing  how  the  same  is  invested,  the 
amount  of  principal  and  interest  thereof  and  the  dis- 
position thereof. 

Section  13 — The  Committee  on  Laws  and  Legisia- 

TION. 

All  questions  of  law  and  matters  of  State  or 
United  States  legislation,  having  reference  generally 
to  insurance  interests,  shall  be  referred  to  the 
Committee  on  Laws  and  Legislation,  unless  other- 
wise directed  by  the  Board.  The  Committee  shall 
keep  such  statistics  as  may  be  outlined  by  the  Board, 
and  also  a  permanent  record  of  their  proceedings, 
and  shall  make  a  monthly  report  to  the  Board. 

Section  14 — The  Committee  on  Surveys. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Committee  on  Surveys 
to^  cause  to  be  made  complete  surveys  of  all  new 
buildings,  buildings  in  process  of  alteration,  ^and  jlII 
other  buildings  that  the  interest  of  members  requires 
to  be  examined,  and  to  keep  full  and  complete  records 
of  the  same,  and  furnish  the  information  by  slip  or 
otherwise  to  members  of  the  Board;  they  shall  also 
take  cognizance  of  all  violations  of  the  Building  Law 
brought  to  their  attention,  and  shall  communicate 
the  knowledge  of  said  violations  to  the  Board. 

The  Committee  shall  cause  to  be  examined,  at 
stated  intervals,  the  public  warehouses,  and  shall 
report  to  the  Board  any  violations  of  the  standing 
rules  of  this  Board  governing  said  warehouses. 

They   shall   also   cause  to   be  examined   furnaces. 


28 

steam  boilers,  heatings  and  other  apparatus  and  con- 
ditions involving  the  use  of  the  products  of  petroleum 
or  other  volatile,  explosive  or  highly  inflammable 
substances,  the  improper  construction  or  location  of 
which  may  cause  the  premises  to  take  fire,  and  shall 
keep  a  record  of  the  condition  in  which  they  are 
found.  Their  record  shall  state  when  such  defects 
remain  uncorrected,  and  also  when  under  their 
direction  they  have  been  remedied.  They  shall  make 
monthly  reports  to  the  Board,  and  shall  issue  and 
deliver  at  the  respective  offices  of  the  members  of 
the  Board  slips  or  sheets  advising  of  the  condition 
of  any  premises  which  they  may  find  to  be  unsafe. 

The  Committee  shall  enforce  such  regulations  as 
the  Board  may  adopt  governing  the  use  of  the  various 
substances  and  apparatus  above  referred  to. 

The  Committee  shall  notify  the  members  of  the 
Board  by  printed  slip  on  the  first  day  of  November 
in  each  year  of  all  changes  in  the  classification  of 
hazards  which  they  propose  to  submit  to  the  Board 
at  their  meeting  in  November. 

The  Committee  shall  keep  such  statistics  as  may 
be  outlined  by  the  Board,  and  also  a  permanent 
record  of  their  proceedings,  and  shall  make  a 
monthly  report  to  the  Board. 

Section  15 — The  Committee  on  Losses  and  adjust- 
ments. 

The  Committee  on  Losses  and  Adjustments  shall 
have  charge  of  the  ascertainment  of  the  amount  of 
losses  due  under  claims  within  the  Metropolitan 
District  whenever  more  than  three  members  of  the 
Board  are  interested;  provided  that  any  member  may 
in  writing,  personally  signed  by  him,  advise  the 
Committee,  in  any  particular  case,  that  he  prefers  to 
attend  to  his  own  adjustment,  in  which  case  he  may 
do  so  through  an  adjuster  approved  by  the  Commit- 
tee, but  the  Committee  shall  attend  to  the  adjustment 
for  all  other  members. 


29 

When  three  members  or  less  are  interested,  the  B 
Committee  shall  have  power  to  take  charge  of  an 
adjustment  for  any  member  or  members  so  request- 
ing, but  any  member  attending  to  his  own  adjust- 
ment in  such  a  case  may  do  so  through  any  person  he 
selects,  whether  an  approved  adjuster  or  not. 

Adjusters  entrusted  by  the  Committee  with  the  C 
ascertainment  of  losses  within  the  Metropolitan  Dis- 
trict for  members  of  the  Board,  shall  first  be  approved 
by  said  Committee,  and  shall,  if  approved,  be  known 
as  Adjusters  of  the  New  York  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers. 

The  approval  of  candidates  for  position  of  Adjuster  D 
shall  be  by  ballot,  and  it  shall  be  necessary  for  a 
candidate  to  receive  not  less  than  eight  votes  of  the 
Committee  to  secure  such  approval.  No  member 
shall  employ  for  the  ascertainment  of  any  loss  in 
which  more  than  three  members  are  interested,  any 
Adjuster  who  has  not  been  first  so  approved  or  who 
is  at  the  time  under  suspension.  The  Committee 
shall  have  power  to  suspend  any  approved  Adjuster 
on  charges  made  against  him^  for  irregularities,  or 
improper  conduct  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
assigned  to  him,  and  if  such  charges  be  sustained 
such  suspension  shall  be  permanent  and  immediately 
reported  to  the  Board. 

The  Committee  may  employ  a  Secretary  and  such     E 
other  assistants  as  may  appear  to  them  necessary, 
and  may  prescribe  their  duties  and  make  rules  for 
their  guidance,  and  also  make  rules  for  the  appoint- 
ment and  direction  of  the  Adjusters. 

The  Committee  shall  keep  such  statistics  as   may     F 
be    outlined   by    the    Board,    and    also    a    permanent 
record    of    their    proceedings,     and    shall    make    a 
monthly  report  to  the  Board. 

Section  16 — The  Committee  on  Electricity. 
The  Committee  on  Electricity  shall  have  charge  of 
the  subject   of   electricity   and   its   use   for   lighting. 


80 

power  or  other  purpose.  They  shall  also  keep  a 
permanent  record  of  their  proceedings,  and  shall 
make  a  monthly  report  to  the  Board. 

Section  17 — The  Committee  on  Arbitra^tion. 

A  The  Committee  shall  be  charged  with  the  duty  of 
hearing  and  determining  any  questions  of  difference 
which  may  arise  between  companies  in  the  course 
of  tbeir  business,  and  which  may  be  submitted  to 
them  by  the  parties  mutually  interested.  It  shall 
also  be  their  duty  to  consider  and  report  on  questions 
relating  to  forms  of  contracts  of  insurance,  having 
reference  as  well  to  the  written  part  of  a  policy  as  to 
the  printed  form. 

I^  When  any  matter  shall  be  referred  to  the  Committee 
on  Arbitration  for  decision,  the  Committee,  before 
considering  the  same,  shall  notify  all  parties  thereto 
of  the  time  and  place  of  their  meeting,  when  an 
opportunity  shall  be  offered  such  parties  to  be  heard 
in  their  own  behalf  if  desired. 

C  The  Committee  shall  keep  such  statistics  as  may 
be  outlined  by  the  Board,  and  also  a  permanent 
record  of  their  proceedings,  and  shall  make  a  monthly 
report  to  the  Board. 

Section  18 — The  Committee  on  Origin  of  Fires. 

A  The  Committee  shall  keep  themselves  in  communi- 
cation with  the  Fire  Department,  and  shall  from  time 
to  time  recommend  to  the  Board  such  measures  as 
they  may  deem  necessary  to  be  taken  for  the  preven- 
tion of  fires  from  incendiarism,  explosions,  spontan- 
eous combustion  or  other  causes.  They  shall  thor- 
oughly investigate  all  suspected  cases  of  arson  or 
fraud. 

B  The  Committee  shall  keep  such  statistics  as  may 
be  outlined  by  the  Board,  and  also  a  permanent 
record  of  their  proceedings,  and  shall  make  a  monthly 
report  to  the  Board. 


Section  19 — Special  Committees. 

All  Special  Committees  shall  be  appointed  by  the 
President,  unless  otherwise  provided  for  in  these 
By-Laws,  or  ordered  by  the  Board,  and  the  names  of 
all  special  committees  shall  be  announced  at  the 
session  of  the  Board  creating  them  or  at  the  session 
next  succeeding,  unless  the  Board  shall  otherwise 
direct. 

Section  20 — Hearings  by  Committees. 

When  a  resolution  has  been  introduced  and  is  by 
vote  referred  to  a  Committee,  the  mover  thereof  shall 
have  the  right  to  be  heard  in  its  favor  before  such 
Committee  if  he  shall  so  request. 

Section  21 — ^EImployees  of  Committees. 

Tke  Standing  Committees  may  employ  such  assist- 
ants, clerks  or  surveyors  as  shall  be  approved  by  the 
Board,  after  a  report  thereon  by  the  Committee  on 
Finance,  and  shall  also  define  the  duties  of  such 
clerks,  surveyors  or  assistants. 

The  several  Standing  Committees  shall  define  the 
duties  of  their  employees. 

Section  22 — The  Committees'  Reports  for  BuDOEyrs. 

Each  committee  shall,  at  least  ten  days  before  the 
end  of  each  fiscal  year,  prepare  and  submit  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Finance,  a  report  showing,  in  detail,  the  es- 
timated expense  for  the  next  ensuing  year,  of  said 
committee  and  its  employees. 


ARTICLE  IV— REVISION  OF  HAZARDS. 

The  classes  of  hazards  may  be  revised  once  in  each 
vear,  and  changes  made  in  the  same  shall  be  finally 
acted  upon  at  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Board,  in 


November  of  each  year,  and  go  into  effect  on  the  first 
day  of  January  following;  and  no  changes  in  the 
classes  of  hazards  shall  be  made  at  any  other  time, 
except  by  a  three-fourths  vote  on  a  month's  previous 
notice  of  the  change  being  given.  New  hazards  com- 
ing to  the  notice  of  the  Board  may  be  classed  at  any 
regular  meeting,  and  shall  not  be  changed  thereafter, 
except  in  accordance  with  the  above  provisions. 


ARTICLE    V— TARIFF    ASSOCIATION. 

There  may  be  formed  of  such  members  of  this 
Board,  as  shall  so  elect,  an  organization  of  the 
nature  of  a  Tariff  Association.  Such  organization 
may  use  that  name,  to  designate  their  body,  or  any 
other  they  may  deem  appropriate.  Such  organization 
may  stipulate  the  terms  upon  which  additional  mem- 
bers may  be  admitted  thereto,  and  for  what  causes 
members  may  be  expelled  therefrom,  and  further  that 
exclusion  from  membership  of  such  organization  shall 
not  operate  as  an  exclusion  from  this  body.  Such 
organization  shall  be  fully  entitled  to  adopt  such 
by-laws  and  such  regulations  as  the  members  shall 
determine  upon. 

They  shall  also  be  entitled  to  use  the  rooms  of  the 
Board  for  the  purpose  of  holding  meetings. 


ARTICLE  VI— AMENDMENT  OF  BY-LAWS. 

The  By-Laws  may  be  altered  or  amended  only  at  a 
stated  monthly  meeting  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  all 
members  present  and  voting,  and  after  submission 
to  the  Board  of  the  proposed  amendment,  in  writ- 
ing, at  a  meeting  held  at  least  one  month  previous 
to  a  vote  being  taken  thereon. 


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